Quest for Merfolk Enchantment Day 4
Description Welcome to the VFK Merfolk Enchantment Epic Quest, Day 4! This is the fourth day of your epic quest for merfolk enchantment! In today's quest we will explore one of the most colorful and diverse underwater wonderlands ever, coral reefs. Merfolk have been associated with these underwater structures made by living creatures for centuries. You can just imagine merfolk swimming through the clear water amongst the towering reef rocks and making their homes in the maze of coral. For our quest today, we will be finding some of the amazing facts of coral reefs and the animals that build them! Your reward for completing the fourth stage of this Epic Quest will be 1,000 credits and your fourth Merfolk Pin, the Coral Reef Pin! Prizes Questions 1. A coral reef is an amazing structure. It forms in warm clear shallow ocean habitats and is extremely rich in life. The enormous structure of a reef is formed by very tiny animals called "coral polyps" that exist together in colonies. When the coral polyps die, a stony branching structure is left behind. What is the name of the substance that is left behind which mainly comprises the reef? * Chalk * Shale * Limestone * Feldspar 2. There are two main types of corals. One of the types is a hard coral, the other is soft. The soft corals such as sea fingers are not reef builders. The hard corals, however, such as brain coral have limestone skeletons which when no longer occupied make up the basic building material of the coral reef. Go to Audubon's Wildlife Adventure game in the Waterfall room and say "I think I see some coral." 3. Coral reefs need shallow warm parts of the ocean to develop. Their ideal habitats are found in the latitudes ranging from 30 degrees north to 30 degrees south of the equator, in the tropics. They prefer water temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The main places that coral reefs are found is off the southern coast of the Red Sea, off the east coast of Africa, in Polynesia, off the coast of Florida, in the Caribbean and all the way to Brazil. The Great Barrier Reef which is off the Northeast coast of Australia is known to be the largest coral reef in the world. How long is it? * Over 1,257 miles long * About 343 miles long * Just under 927 miles long * Around 750 miles long 4. Reefs contain an abundance of undersea life. The coral reef provides a home for many animals and creates a very complex habitat for its inhabitants. Some of the animals that are found living at a reef beneath the waves are such animals as sponges, reef sharks, groupers, clown fish, parrotfish, sea stars, crabs, sea snakes, snails and such creatures as anemones, octopuses and clams. Go to the gate of the castle and say "Coral reefs rock!" 5. Reefs form under different circumstances and in varying conditions and can be classified into types. One type of reef is called a "fringing reef". It is built by the coral along a coastline in the shallow waters of the continental shelf. Another type, a "Barrier reef" also grows along a coastline, but exists a ways out from shore separated by a deep lagoon. They earn their name because they make a barrier between the lagoon and the open ocean which can make navigation difficult. A "Coral Atoll" is another form of reef that is comprised of large rings of coral built fringing the shore of a volcanic island. When the volcanic island sinks, the reef continues to grow and is left as the remaining structure for the island. The largest coral reefs in the world are Barrier reefs. What is significant about the "New Caledonia Barrier Reef"? * It is a double barrier reef * It is known as the "Big Yard" * It is the second largest coral reef system in the world * It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981 6. There are many other forms that coral reefs take and most of the larger reefs include many of the forms in the larger structure of the reef. For example, the Great Barrier reef is composed of ribbon reefs, deltaic reefs, fringing reefs, lagoonal reefs, cresentic reefs and planar reefs. Islands called coral cays are also included in the reef system which were formed when the sea level rose to cover continental islands and the coral over grew the submerged island. Most of the islands in the Great Barrier Reef are formed on planar reefs. Go to the first room in the Australian Outback and say "Let's look for fossils." 7. Corals that grow in tropical conditions do not grow at depths over 165 feet. Also, they do not inhabit cold waters of temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit. A type of coral called "deep water coral", or "cold water coral" are found all over the world, however not much is known about them. What is known about cold water coral has primarily been learned from fishing companies and companies searching the ocean for oil and gas. The corals resemble tropical corals because they provide shelter for many other types of organisms. The largest cold water coral reefs are found off the coast of what country? * China * Iceland * Norway * Italy 8. Cold water corals like tropical corals require something hard to attach to in order to start building. They need surfaces such as rocks or seamounts on which to grow. They also need a current to provide "zooplankton" for their food and to help keep the coral clean. The deep water corals can live at depths of 130 feet deep to almost 5,000 feet deep. They grow more slowly than the tropical species due to the lack of sunlight reaching them. The deep water corals must "catch" their food and have small tentacles on their polyps which capture food and stun their catch with venomous stinging cells called "nematocysts". Go to the inside of the livery stable in the Wild West and say "Hey, that stings!" 9. Like the giant clams, corals obtain much of their nutrients from a symbiotic relationship they have with the single-celled algae called "zooxanthellae". The algae engage in photosynthesis and thereby produce organic nutrients that are ingested by the coral polyps. Because the coral has the benefit of the algae, they can grow much more quickly which enables them to build reefs. The water needs to be clear to enable as much light as possible to reach the algae. They must stay in the "photic zone". Where is the photic zone located? * Off the Florida Keys, USA. * It is a nutrient rich current that occurs at a depth of 25 feet to 50 feet. * Within 10 feet of the surface of the ocean. * Within 165 feet of the surface of the ocean. 10. There are many plants in a coral reef as well as animals. The primary types of plants are algae, sea grass and zooaxenthella. There are many different types of sea grass which come in different colors, and sea grass is the only flowering plant in the ocean. The sea grass has such names as turtle grass, manatee grass and shoal grass. Even though the algae is necessary for the growth and sustenance of the reef, if too much algae is in the water due to a high level of nutrients present, the algae can actually smother the coral. Go to the Victorian park and say "Now where can I find some turtle grass?" Answers 1. Limestone 2. Go to the Tranquil Waterfall room and say "I think I see some coral." 3. Over 1,257 miles long 4. Go to the Castle Gate and say "Coral reefs rock!" 5. It is a double barrier reef 6. Go to the Australian Outback I and say "Let's look for fossils." 7. Norway 8. Go to the inside of the Livery Stable in the Wild West and say "Hey, that stings!" 9. Within 165 feet of the surface of the ocean. 10. Go to the Victorian Summer Park and say "Now where can I find some turtle grass?" Category:Quests Category:Epic Quests